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Last week I explained the rules for my new blogging project – the Monday Message challenge. Today, I’ll be talking about how the first week went! This week’s theme was little things we can do outside in the lovely fall weather, and I decided to start off slow with something I already knew I would enjoy – going for a long walk in some crunchy leaves!

I go for afternoon walks in our neighborhood parks fairly regularly, so to mix it up a little, I decided to take this Riverside Park walk in the evening. I left around 7:00 pm, but it was already pretty dark out, thanks to the rapid shortening of our daytime hours. I brought a friend along this time, but would have enjoyed the hour-long walk by myself as well! The sunset over the Hudson was really beautiful, but unfortunately, I don’t have any pictures for to share this week, as my phone camera is not exactly amazing and only really works in broad daylight.

I love walking/hiking/generally most outdoor activities, so I wasn’t too worried about not enjoying this week’s “challenge.” Instead, I was concerned with trying to get something new out of it. Usually, when I go for walks, I use the time to think about the things that are going on in my life, like my homework, or the events I’m planning on campus. This time, though, I really wanted to focus on my own wellness and calm. I’d say this was a mixed success – just being conscious of the need for a more peaceful approach was a total step in the right direction, but I did find it hard to put all the distractions out of my mind. Overall, I would absolutely recommend going for a relaxing outdoor stroll or otherwise spending time outside before the weather gets too gloomy, and I look forward to picking another healthy Monday challenge to try next week!